François-Xavier Roth presents two landmark works by late-Romantic masters, musing on fantasy and philosophy in this one-hour concert.

Debussy’s dreamlike Prélude à l’après-midi d’un Faune broke with convention, recounting the story of a love-struck faun’s passionate yearning. The reverie is broken by the audacious trumpet fanfare of Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra. A bold, intrepid tone poem, famously used by Stanley Kubrick in 2001: A Space Odyssey, it explores mankind’s place in the universe, diving headfirst into themes of religion, science and individuality.

This concert is part of Half Six Fix, a new way to experience the LSO, with an introduction to the music from François-Xavier Roth, digital programme notes on your phone or device, and more. Grab a drink, take your seat and enjoy the music.

Programme notes by app

EnCueAt this concert we will be offering a new experience – information and insight about the music delivered in real time to your smartphone. EnCue is a mobile app that enhances audience engagement during live performing arts events. The app delivers media to viewers in real time, creating a unique opportunity for viewers to receive helpful information at the exact moment you need it during live events.

On the concert day1. Make sure your phone is fully charged before leaving for the Barbican2. Connect to our dedicated WiFi network 'LSO Half Six Fix' with the password 'LSOHalfSixFix'3. Set your phone to silent. We also recommend turning off auto screen lock and disabling push notifications4. Open the EnCue app5. You can sign in with Facebook or your email if you want to create an account. This lets you save slides to view later, or share them to Facebook. If you’d rather not create an account, select 'Skip'6. Select London from the list of available cities7. Tap 'Download Performance' then 'View Performance'. The notes will start automatically and will advance automatically during the performance – you can swipe left or right to browse content on your own, and re-sync with the performance at any time by tapping the switch icon in the lower left portion of the screen.

There is a user guide contained in the app which can be accessed by tapping the (?) icon in the top right of the screen.

About Half Six Fix

These concerts start at 6.30pm and last for one hour, without an interval, featuring a short programme of one or two major works, which the conductor will introduce from the stage.

To bring you closer to the action, we’ll have screens to showcase the performers and programme notes available electronically on your Android or iPhone device. You can also enjoy the music with a drink in your seat.